Statistics regarding crime consistently bear out the fact that illegal activity is higher during the warmer months of the year. It could be that the hot temperatures have everyone irritated and on edge, so violence is more likely. Some blame the fact that school is not in session and teenagers are walking around with nothing to do but get in trouble. But, I wonder if another possibility for summer crime has been considered – you are more likely to leave tracks!
Two young men in Pittsburgh have been charged with robbery, aggravated assault, and drug possession after robbing a cab driver at gunpoint. Once the cabbie managed to run away from the scene, the accused criminals searched the vehicle for items worth stealing, including the GPS. They didn’t get far with their finds, though.
A woman with whom the duo had been traveling in the cab unknowingly took some cues from Hansel and Gretel. Police were able to track her boot prints in the snow from the place she stepped out of the cab right to her front door. The two thieves were found upstairs in the woman’s house and they unfortunately had cocaine, heroin, and a revolver in their possession.
I am not one who is in the practice of offering advice to would-be criminals. I consider myself on the side of those who try to bring the offenders to justice. However, this trio would have been wise to check out a weather forecast before setting out on their illegal scheme. Maybe a time at which a new layer of snow was scheduled to be falling imminently to cover up tracks would have been in order. Or, better yet, just follow the advice always offered by the newscasters when conditions are messy . . . just stay home.
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Related Blog Posts:
The Impact of Impression Evidence
Impression Evidence Takes a Front Row Seat at Crime Scenes
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